The Normanic Vault - A Blog About Grav Collecting & Showing Stuff Off

More unboxings added to the blog:

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Tsukamoto: Killing / Haze / Denchu-kozo (Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in April 2020, acquired through Amazon UK.

More misc. stuff added to the blog:

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Monthly Otaku Collection - April 2020
More stuff here. Every anime, Asian film, books and video games that I had picked up during the month of April 2020.

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New Blog Section! UK Anime & Asian Cinema Schedule
More stuff here. New section to the blog which details the current schedule for both upcoming anime and also Asian films!
 
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More unboxings added to the blog:

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Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory & Afterglow of Zeon (Collector's Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in May 2020, acquired through Anime Limited.

More misc. stuff added to the blog:

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I recently revamped the layout of the blog so it'll look slightly different than the usual. In addition, I have updated the 2020 solicitation slates from January to July 2020 so that the artworks are finalised, any titles that were postponed or delayed are mentioned, and links to Amazon are available (all Amazon links are affiliated).
 
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More unboxings added to the blog:

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Akira Kurosawa Samurai Collection (Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in September 2014, acquired through HMV.

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RADIANT Season 1 Part 1 (Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in March 2020, acquired through United Publications UK.

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That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 1 Part 1 (Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in October 2019, acquired through United Publications UK.

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Wise Man's Grandchild (Limited Edition Blu-ray & DVD)
More photos here. Released in May 2020, acquired through MVM's Anime-on-Line.

More misc. stuff added to the blog:

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August 2020 Solicitations for US Anime Home Video Releases
More stuff here. New branding for the blog, as Sentai has dropped the Filmworks part of their name, and I'll be adding Discotek.

And a quick update on all things Grav hauls:
  • So United Publications decided to process three separate orders into one, so expect Owarimonogatari, Quintessential Quintuplets and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 1 Part 2 to arrive in the first half of next week (Monday at the earliest).
  • Multiple delays due to COVID, so The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 1 Part 1 is due 8th June and Part 2 is due 29th June. RADIANT Season 1 Part 2 is due 8th June also.
  • Revolutionary Girl Utena was ordered during its early bird offering. I went for the £115 bundle so the plan is to have all three parts and the shop exclusive box and the very limited artbook & rings as one big unboxing post when it arrives in mid-July.
  • Love Live! Sunshine!! Season 2 was moved to 15th June a while back. No news on whether it gets delayed again.
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 1 and PROMARE were also ordered during their early birds, still scheduled for 15th June and 29th June respectively.
  • Birthday 2020 haul in June is being worked on, so far 1 Jackie Chan is confirmed.
 
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More unboxings added to the blog:

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Owarimonogatari Volume 1 (Aniplex Limited Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in October 2016, acquired through United Publications USA.

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Owarimonogatari Volume 2 (Aniplex Limited Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in December 2016, acquired through United Publications USA.

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The Quintessential Quintuplets Season 1 (Limited Edition Blu-ray & DVD)
More photos here. Released in May 2020, acquired through United Publications USA.

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That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 1 Part 2 (Limited Edition Blu-ray & DVD)
More photos here. Released in February 2020, acquired through United Publications USA.
 
More unboxings added to the blog:

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Love Live! Sunshine!! Season 2 (Collector's Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in June 2020, acquired through Anime Limited.

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RADIANT Season 1 Part 2 (Limited Edition Blu-ray & DVD)
More photos here. Released in June 2020, acquired through United Publications UK.

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The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 1 Part 1 (Limited Edition Blu-ray & DVD)
More photos here. Released in June 2020, acquired through United Publications UK.

More misc. stuff added to the blog:

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September 2020 Solicitations for US Anime Home Video Releases
More stuff here. Check out the latest anime releases coming from Funimation and Sentai, with Discotek updating later.

And a quick update on all things Grav hauls:
  • A small but fun haul coming this Sunday :3
  • PROMARE has been dispatched, so expect that probably Saturday unless Royal Mail is back to normal on speed.
  • Space Battleship Yamato 2199 is still scheduled for end of month.
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 1 and The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 1 Part 2 were both pushed back to end of July.
 
More unboxings added to the blog:

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Armour of God II: Operation Condor (First Print Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in June 2020, acquired via Birthday haul.

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PROMARE (Collector's Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in June 2020, acquired through Anime Limited.

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Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (Collector's Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in May 2020, acquired via Birthday haul.

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Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in June 2020, acquired through MVM's Anime-on-Line.

More misc. stuff added to the blog:

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Otaku Collection Haul for June 2020
More stuff here. Every anime, Asian film, light novel and video game that I had picked up during the month of June 2020.

And a quick update on all things Grav hauls:
  • Revolutionary Girl Utena is apparently still on-track to dispatch within the next seven days.
  • No reported delays yet for Black Clover Season 1, Magic Knight Rayearth Part 1, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 1, and The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 1 Part 2.
  • I plan to leave my flat at the end of the month or early next month, which means the scenery of the unboxing photos will change. Therefore August titles Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer and Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 2 will be different from the others.
 
More unboxings added to the blog:

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Koyomimonogatari (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in December 2017, acquired through United Publications (USA).

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Revolutionary Girl Utena Parts 1-3 (Collector's Edition Blu-ray with Shop Exclusive Box)
More photos here. Released in July 2020, acquired through Anime Limited.

And a quick update on all things Grav hauls:
  • The current unboxing schedule as follows:
    • July 2020:
      • Black Clover Season 1
      • Magic Knight Rayearth Part 1 (CE)
      • The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 1 Part 2 (LE)
    • August 2020:
      • Magic Knight Rayearth Part 2 (CE)
      • Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer & 00: Special Edition (CE)
      • Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 1 (CE)
      • Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 2 (CE)
  • As mentioned previously, the July 2020 titles, as well as the monthly otaku collection update, will be the final set of posts that will be located at my current flat. From August 2020 onwards, the photos will be done at my main house (if you saw my unboxings from my Christmas haul, that was done at my house) so the lighting and scenery will be different.
 
More unboxings added to the blog:

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Black Clover Season 1 (Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in July 2020, acquired through MVM's Anime-on-Line.

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Magic Knight Rayearth Part 1 (Collector's Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in July 2020, acquired through Anime Limited.

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The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 1 Part 2 (Limited Edition Blu-ray & DVD)
More photos here. Released in July 2020, acquired through United Publications (UK).

More misc. stuff added to the blog:

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October 2020 Solicitations for US Anime Home Video Releases
More stuff here. Check out the latest anime releases coming from Funimation and Sentai, with Discotek updating later.

And a quick update on all things Grav hauls:
  • The current unboxing schedule as follows:
    • August 2020:
      • Dragon Lord (FP)
      • The Fearless Hyena (FP)
      • Magic Knight Rayearth Part 2 (CE)
      • Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer & 00: Special Edition (CE)
      • Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 1 (CE)
      • Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 2 (CE)
    • September 2020:
      • Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (CE)
    • November 2020:
      • Weathering With You (DE)
  • The monthly otaku collection update of July 2020 will be the final post that will have photos done at my flat.
  • New shelving is coming soon for the Normanic Vault, a lot sooner than I had anticipated. I don't think I will provide a complete collection update yet though.
 
More unboxings added to the blog:

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Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 1 (Collector's Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in August 2020, acquired through Anime Limited.

More misc. stuff added to the blog:

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Otaku Collection Haul for July 2020
More stuff here. Every anime, Asian film, light novel and video game that I had picked up during the month of June 2020.

Current Status of the Normanic Vault as of August 2020!
More stuff here. A brief status update on how things have been and what's going to happen next.

TL;DR:
  • Due to uncertainly, the hauls will be smaller but will try and acquire LEs whenever possible.
  • Unboxings will have photos now conduced in a new location (as expected) but results are looking good!
  • Unboxing Redux, remasters of old unboxing posts from 2013-2018 Blogger era, will return very soon.
  • New shelf and more rows for the shelving are coming soon.

Speaking of the photos, here's a comparison between the flat's setup and my room's setup:

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More unboxings added to the blog:

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Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailnblazer & 00: Special Edition (Collector's Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in August 2020, acquired through Anime Limited.

Working on two Unboxing Redux posts that will go live either today or tomorrow. Those two titles will be Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 (Parts 1 & 2 in a single post) and Mobile Suit Gundam 0079: The Movie Trilogy. You can see a brief comparison below.

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To provide some added context. The unboxings done before January 2017 used a Samsung SG III Mini phone, while afterwards the iPhone SE was used. It wasn't until January 2019 when I switched to the Huawei P20 Pro (which is where the quality goes up a lot more).
 
More Unboxing Redux posts added to the blog:

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Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Parts 1 & 2 (Collector's Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in November 2015 & March 2016, originally unboxed in December 2015 & March 2016.
Original Blogger version for Part 1 and Part 2 for comparison.

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Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Movie Trilogy (Collector's Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in March 2017, originally unboxed in March 2017.
Original Blogger version for comparison.

Hope the one individual enjoys the redux posts. I plan to go over Zeta Gundam, Gundam ZZ and Gundam Origin I-IV over the coming days to wrap up the whole Gundam franchise in one unboxing blog place lol.
 
Going through the remainder of the Gundam UK Blu-ray franchise for the next three Unboxing Redux posts that will go live later today! Those three titles will be Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (Parts 1 & 2 in a single post), Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (Parts 1 & 2 in a single post) and Mobile Suit Gundam the Origin I-IV: Chronicle of Char and Sayla. You can see a brief comparison below.

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To provide some added context. These unboxings used the iPhone SE and the more recent ones like Gundam Origin I had since changed the style of the photos which is more akin to what you would usually see on my newest arrivals. Gundam Origin is the final anime I unboxed before I had relocated (I didn't get any anime during July & August of 2018).
 
More Unboxing Redux posts added to the blog:

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Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam Parts 1 & 2 (Collector's Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in February 2017 & May 2017, originally unboxed in February 2017 & May 2017.
Original Blogger version for Part 1 and Part 2 for comparison.

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Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ Parts 1 & 2 (Collector's Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in October 2017 & January 2018, originally unboxed in October 2017 & January 2018.
Original Blogger version for Part 1 and Part 2 for comparison.

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Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin I-IV: Chronicle of Char and Sayla (Collector's Edition Blu-ray)
More photos here. Released in May 2018, originally unboxed in June 2018.
Original Blogger version for comparison.
 
New photo set up is looking good!
Indeed, I was worried the setup wouldn't be as good as the setup I had at the flat, but I'm glad it turned out great. Which is why I took this opportunity to go back and remaster tons of my older anime unboxings starting with the remaining Gundam sets. Other titles I intend to redux are Ninja Scroll's 2012 steelbook, the original Perfect Blue collector's edition, Monster Musume limited edition (lol), the Monogatari Aniplex franchise, and many others. Of course I can't do tons as I have to be careful with the limitations of the storage space on WP.
 
Indeed, I was worried the setup wouldn't be as good as the setup I had at the flat, but I'm glad it turned out great. Which is why I took this opportunity to go back and remaster tons of my older anime unboxings starting with the remaining Gundam sets. Other titles I intend to redux are Ninja Scroll's 2012 steelbook, the original Perfect Blue collector's edition, Monster Musume limited edition (lol), the Monogatari Aniplex franchise, and many others. Of course I can't do tons as I have to be careful with the limitations of the storage space on WP.
I look forward to seeing them! One of these days I’ll get around to showcasing my collection in a similar vein but need to find a space wherein I can get some decent lighting.
 
I look forward to seeing them! One of these days I’ll get around to showcasing my collection in a similar vein but need to find a space wherein I can get some decent lighting.
Ninja Scroll's going to be an interesting one, because not only was it the first anime I acquired on Blu-ray but I don't recall actually checking the discs properly. Plus there's a good reason I am choosing this time of year to look back at it (as you'll find out pretty soon).
 
The next batch of Unboxing Redux posts is going back to the time that Manga Entertainment once released them on VHS. These three were one of the first anime titles that I ever purchased or watched so I am looking forward to going over the contents once again. Starting off with the 2012 release of Ninja Scroll in its collector's edition steelbook format from Manga Entertainment (my first anime Blu-ray purchase), followed by the 2013 release of Perfect Blue in its collector's edition release from Anime Limited (my first Anime Ltd purchase), and last but not least the 2016 release of Akira in its anniversary deluxe edition release from Manga Entertainment (my first proper anime film). You can see a brief comparison below.

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To provide some added context. These unboxings used the Samsung SG III Mini and as you can tell the quality is all over the place in its original version. The redux photos gives them another time to shine.
 
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